LAST UPDATE | 8 Jan
The Green Bay Packers, four-times Super Bowl winners, grabbed a place in the NFL playoffs on the final day of the regular season after a 17-9 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The Packers’ win over their division rivals secured them the last available wildcard spot in the NFC while in the AFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ground out victory over the Carolina Panthers to book their place in the postseason.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love, in his first full season as a starter after replacing superstar Aaron Rodgers, found Dontayvion Wicks with a 12-yard pass in the third quarter to put the Packers 14-6 up.
The Bears could only manage a fourth quarter field goal in response and then Anders Carlson calmed any nerves at Lambeau Field with a 25-yard field goal to secure the win.
The Packers claimed the seventh seed and will travel to face the second-seeded Dallas Cowboys in wildcard weekend, a classic match-up of two of the league’s historic franchises.
The Packers’ win over the Bears was also enough to knock Seattle out of post-season contention, despite the Seahawks beating the Arizona Cardinals 21-20.
Dallas took care of business, winning the NFC East with a 38-10 win over the Washington Commanders. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns as Dallas ended with a 12-5 record for the third straight season under head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Los Angeles Rams, who beat the San Francisco 49ers 21-20, booked a meeting with the Lions in Detroit, a game which curiously pits both teams’ quarterbacks against their former clubs.
The Rams took Matthew Stafford from the Lions in 2021 and sent Jared Goff to Detroit as part of the trade.
The 49ers, who had already secured the top seed and a first-round bye in the NFC, rested starting quarterback Brock Purdy and the Rams also kept Stafford out of action.
Stafford’s back-up, Carson Wentz won the game with a 12-yard rush with 4:56 left in the fourth quarter.
The Lions, already qualified for the playoffs, claimed the third seed with a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The other NFC wildcard game will see Tampa Bay host the Philadelphia Eagles after three field goals from Chase McLaughlin sealed a dour 9-0 win for Tampa Bay in Charlotte.
The win ensured the 2021 Super Bowl champions advance to the postseason as NFC South division winners — their third straight crown.
The Eagles lost 27-10 at the New York Giants, the fifth defeat in their last six games for last season’s Super Bowl runners-up.
As the Bucs celebrated, the Jacksonville Jaguars were eliminated after a 28-20 defeat to Tennessee in Nashville that completed a miserable late season collapse.
Jacksonville looked to be cruising towards the postseason in late November after leading their division with an 8-3 record.
But the Jaguars’ season imploded with five defeats in their final six games as the fast-improving Houston Texans overtook them to clinch the AFC South. Devin Singletary produced the key touchdown for the Texans in the final quarter of their 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts with quarterback CJ Stroud passing for 264 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
The Texans will face the Cleveland Browns in the super wild card round with the Browns losing 31-14 to the Cincinnati Bengals after fielding a large number of reserve players.
The Titans — already eliminated from playoff contention — took control of Sunday’s clash in the third quarter when DeAndre Hopkins gathered a Ryan Tannehill pass for a six-yard touchdown that made it 28-13.
Jacksonville looked to launch a fourth quarter rally after Evan Engram’s touchdown from Trevor Lawrence cut the gap to 28-20.
But after regaining possession, the Jags’ bid for a potentially game-tying touchdown score faltered when Lawrence’s attempt to reach into the end zone on fourth down was stopped just short to give possession back to the Titans.
Jacksonville had one last chance, but Lawrence was unable to make any headway – tossing an attempted throw on fourth down well beyond reach of his intended receiver.
Jacksonville’s defeat meant both the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers clinched their playoff places and they will meet each other on Sunday after the Bills won the AFC East for the fourth straight season with a 21-14 win at Miami.
The Dolphins led 14-7 going into the fourth quarter but a brilliant 96-yard punt return from Deonte Harty levelled the game before Dawson Knox collected a five-yard pass from Josh Allen for the game-winning TD.
Miami, who have not won the AFC East since 2008, will travel to Kansas City to face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in their playoff opener.
The Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 48-17 but the result in North Carolina meant their win was not enough to advance.
Elsewhere, the Las Vegas Raiders ended their season with a 24-17 win over the Denver Broncos, while the New York Jets beat the New England Patriots 17-3.
